By now, you should have taken the time to check out the video and/or screens of the GameCube incarnation of Legend of Zelda. Needless to say, Link has changed a lot in appearance from the design that was first presented at E3 in May of last year. Shigeru Miyamoto, lord of all that is Zelda, took time off from his hectic Spaceworld schedule and spoke about the game and the reason for Link's new look.

The character design for Link has gone from a realistic, almost dark presentation to one that can be best described as Disney-fied, utilizing the nigh on omnipresent cel-shading graphics style. Those who have been poring over the screens from E3 will no doubt be a little disappointed. Miyamoto's hesitance to use the more adult-looking version arose when he considered what age Link should be in the new game, and whether a grown up Link was something that he really wanted to pursue.

The legendary game designer is wary of the fact that emulation of successful games is all too prevalent amongst designers, and after a while, games in the same genre start to look nearly identical. The about-face is Nintendo's way of striving to innovate, and according to Miyamoto, "what we are now doing is putting emphasis on making our games better than the others and we are not ignoring the importance of making something different."

It may surprise those interested in the game's progression that the aesthetic changes unveiled today were already in place by the time E3 rolled around this past May. Miyamoto stated that, "at the time of E3 we were hiding the secret." He also made it quite clear that creativity comes first in his games, saying that, "in the game industry the people that are most sought after are the people with better technology than skill, rather than the people who love to challenge themselves to make something very fun and deliver breakthrough ideas. That kind of situation I really hate."

While the look has changed, the drive remains. Miyamoto is looking to push his creative abilities, to create something "as unique as possible because uniqueness is something gamers are always looking for." With statements like that, the late 2002 Japanese release date seems infinitely far away. Keep checking RPGamer as more information is released for this highly anticipated title.